John Lingard on Jimmy McIlroy, Steve Rigby on the first black football manager, and Patrick Vallance on Manchester United Brian Glanville’s obituary of Jimmy McIlroy (21 August) was factually comprehensive but fails to capture his class, skill and footballing ability in the days of muddy grounds,...

Brighton arrive on a high following their impressive victory over Manchester United but stopping Liverpool is a far more complex assignment. The hosts have scored 18 goals without reply in their past six league outings at Anfield – a run that includes a 4-0 defeat of Brighton on the final day of...

• Manchester United manager shrugs off problems • Mourinho refuses to discuss Paul Pogba José Mourinho says he is happy with his relationship with the Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. United host Tottenham Hotspur on Monday in their first match since a dismal 3-2 defeat at B...

What better indicators of the sorry state of the nation than the rudderless spy franchise, the struggling department store and the woeful football team? Preppers have a formal acronym for it: SHTF. When the shit hits the fan. This is different to TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) – b...

Today’s fluff is picking through the ruins Once upon a time Real Madrid could attract any player they wanted. Who Real want, Real get – that’s what the old folks used to say. But times have changed. Those three consecutive Champions League titles were but a death rattle. Today we are told by El P...

Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman is an ex-banker from Essex who mixes affability with ruthlessness and will be unafraid to recommend the manager’s sacking if necessary Ed Woodward is the Manchester United executive vice-chairman whose current brief has him in Red Adair mode for the fir...

Today’s tittle-tattle didn’t get the ending A player who makes no secret of his ambitions to move elsewhere while simultaneously giving every appearance of being perfectly content where he is, Eden Hazard will be the subject of one more bid from Real Madrid before the European transfer window shu...

Manchester United’s summer of discontent and Spurs’ off-field distractions suggest that the strongest challenge to Pep Guardiola’s side will come from a more muscular Liverpool More than anything, José Mourinho sounded resigned when he discussed Manchester United’s defeat by Brighton. There was g...

• Mino Raiola reacts to criticism of performance and leadership • Gary Neville takes Ed Woodward to task over transfer policy Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, has added to the turmoil around Manchester United by attacking Paul Scholes and joking that the club’s former midfielder should be appoint...

• ‘The lads told me this is the kind of game against United’ • New defender expects Anfield on Saturday to be much harder Brighton’s Leon Balogun has said that he was surprised by Manchester United’s slow football in the 3-2 defeat to his new club on Sunday. Albion’s centre-back was under the imp...

The manager ought to have assembled a side to challenge for the Premier League title with the players he has at his disposal In Manchester United’s ongoing insipidness under José Mourinho a perfect storm of problems is found. The manager seems to have lost his mojo – momentarily, at least. An eli...

José Mourinho's woes continued after his side suffered a 3-2 defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium. Speaking after the game Mourinho stated: 'I will be very happy to analyse my players’ performances when they were very good. When I cannot do that, don’t push me to the other side because I will n...

• Manager yet to have all of his squad fully fit and available • United have more than a week to prepare for Tottenham’s visit José Mourinho retains the full backing of Manchester United’s hierarchy following Sunday’s dismal 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion. United beat Leicester City 2-1 at...

Burnley already suffering effects of Europe, the flipside to N’Golo Kanté’s new role and Wolves’s strikers struggling to match team’s midfield talent Brighton upstaged Manchester United, but that they did so without the help of any of their headline summer signings (Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Yves Biss...

Manchester United’s manager once held sway over all he surveyed but he has lost the control he craves José Mourinho’s irritation with the “movie” that Manchester City released last week was mild compared with his anger at the horror show that Manchester United made him sit through when losing at...

• Manager says he has been criticised in past for views on players • Chris Hughton ‘very proud’ of Brighton’s performance José Mourinho said he could not give an honest assessment of his team’s performance after Manchester United slumped to a shambolic 3-2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at...

This lamentable effort was enough to remind José Mourinho that he has much more pressing concerns than Manchester City poking fun at him in their new documentary. Manchester United’s budding film critic could only grit his teeth as Brighton & Hove Albion’s jubilant supporters informed him that hi...

Updates as Brighton host Manchester United, kick-off 4pm (BST) Mourinho says Manchester City’s TV series shows they lack class And feel free to email Ben or tweet him to get in touch 3.13pm BST So, three changes for Manchester United and two for Brighton. Meanwhile, over at the Etihad Stadium, Ma...

Summer roundup – also featuring Neymar’s heart, West Ham’s carpet and no more corruption Related: David Squires on … emo Mourinho's Premier League 2018-19 preview Related: David Squires on … the return of the Premier League season You don't need to understand what he says. He is just brilliant. P...

• United manager infuriated by appearances in City documentary • Mourinho defends David de Gea and says new deal is imminent José Mourinho has criticised Manchester City over their new documentary All or Nothing , accusing the club of lacking class and respect. “If you are a rich club you can buy...

England’s Alex Greenwood left Liverpool and stepped down a division to join Manchester United and manager Casey Stoney “I think originally – it sounds really bad – I was telling myself: ‘It’s not going to happen, ’” says the England left-back Alex Greenwood on Casey Stoney’s first contact with he...

The omens favour Brighton, who have won their past two home games against Manchester United, 1-0 at the Amex in May to secure their Premier League status and by the same margin, thanks to Peter Ward, in November 1982. The odds, however, remain very much in the favour of José Mourinho’s side and t...